What are the three major theories that explain crowd behavior?
In this lesson, we will discuss three different theories to explain crowd behavior: contagion theory, convergent theory, and emergent norm theory.
Who stated the concept of crowd mind?
Gustave Le Bon
The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind
| Author | Gustave Le Bon |
|---|---|
| Language | French |
| Genre | Social psychology |
| Publication date | 1895 |
| Published in English | 1896 |
Why did Le Bon write the crowd?
Le Bon developed the view that crowds are not the sum of their individual parts, proposing that within crowds there forms a new psychological entity, the characteristics of which are determined by the “racial unconscious” of the crowd.
What is Le Bon’s theory?
In his book, Le Bon also formulated the contagion theory, which argues that crowds cause people to act in a certain way. The theory suggests that crowds exert a sort of hypnotic influence on their members.
What is the law of the mental unity of crowds?
The psychological characteristics of crowds, as analyzed at length in the celebrated The Crowd, may be grouped around three themes. The first and most general characteristic attributed by Le Bon to crowd behavior is that of unanimity; he called this the law of the mental unity of crowds and asserted it as a dogma.
Who invented contagion theory?
scholar Gustave Le Bon
Contagion theory was developed by French scholar Gustave Le Bon (1841–1931) in his influential 1895 book, The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind (Le Bon, 1895/1960).
What is crowd Behaviour in psychology?
the activities or conduct of a group of people who congregate temporarily while their attention is focused on the same object or event.
What does emergent norms mean?
a new norm that defines appropriate behavior in ambiguous situations, as one developed by a member of a crowd.
What does emergent norm theory assume?
Emergent norm theory assumes that norms emerge after people gather for collective behavior, and that their behavior afterward is largely rational.